SOLANA BEACH  Bands would be permitted, but they couldn’t use amplifiers. Beer and wine could be served, but alcohol sales would be prohibited. The number of guests would be limited and gatherings would have to end by 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Even with those and several other conditions, a move to allow weekend private rentals of a historic Solana Beach community center that had recently undergone a $280,000 renovation has been killed amid concerns from residents living near the blufftop site with stunning views of the Pacific.

At least for now.

“This is a divisive issue, probably one of the most divisive issues we’ve had in front of us in a long time,” Mayor Mike Nichols said at the start of a three-hour City Council hearing on the proposal that lasted into late into the night Wednesday.

After listening to neighbors and nearby businesses who were mostly opposed to the move, and civic groups and former city officials who were mostly in favor of it, the council couldn’t come to a consensus and decided to put off any vote.

Opponents cited noise, traffic, parking issues and alcohol, the latter of which could be served at wedding receptions and the like but could not be sold.

Proponents noted rentals would be limited to Solana Beach residents, many of whom contributed toward renovating the 1935 Civilian Conservation Corps barracks that was moved from Vista to Solana Beach in 1974.

The Fletcher Cove Community Center on South Sierra Avenue was once used for private rentals, but it fell into disrepair over the years as some parties got out of hand.

Some $185,000 of the renovation’s cost came from the Solana Beach Community Foundation, and the reborn structure was dedicated on July 1, 2011, in celebration of the city’s 25th anniversary. The building is now used for meetings, adult education classes, junior lifeguard classes, children’s art lessons and a community singalong.

The proposal came up because “since the renovation, the city has been receiving increased inquiries from the public requesting to use the newly renovated facility,” states a 360-page city report.

“Many people contributed to the upgrade of the building with the expectation it would be used for something other than flower arrangement classes,” Margaret Schlesinger, a member of the Solana Beach Civic and Historic Society, told the council.

But Kim Burnett, who lives two houses away from the community center, said the city had a duty to maintain the character of it’s neighborhoods, “and the character of my neighborhood now is not having parties every weekend.”

Nearby businesses worried that a condition forcing party hosts to employ shuttle vans or valets to lessen the impact on neighborhood parking would result in partygoers parking at their restaurants.

And virtually all opposed said they objected to allowing alcohol at parties of up to 100 people in a residential area. Alcohol is not allowed elsewhere on public property in Solana Beach.

Nichols suggested banning alcohol and limiting the number of guests to 50, but keeping the rental rate at $300 an hour. Responded City Councilwoman Lesa Heebner: “Nobody is going to rent a place for $1,500 or $1,800 a day for what will turn out to be a children’s party.”